BBC News
President Joe Biden has announced that he will tighten travel restrictions in the United States, following a spate of new coronavirus cases.
The US president has said his plan does not include a "shutdown or lockdown" and will not change vaccination rules.
New cases of Omicron have been reported in California, Colorado, Minnesota, New York and Hawaii, but these people have shown mild symptoms of the virus.
According to reports, this new type of virus has appeared in 30 countries.It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
What is Biden's new code plan?
According to details released on Thursday, all travelers traveling abroad will have to be tested for the virus 24 hours before leaving the United States, even if they have been vaccinated. By March, masks will be required on planes, trains and buses.
The US government will try to provide free home testing to as many people as possible through private insurance companies.
In the winter months, the administration will encourage all adults to take the vaccine booster shot (extra dose) through a public education campaign.
It should be noted that more than 40 million Americans have received booster shots of the vaccine, but the US President says that about 100 million people are eligible for it but they have not yet received additional dose of vaccine.
Hundreds of family vaccination clinics will be set up across the country in an effort to increase vaccination rates among children and adolescents.
The United States and several other countries have banned travel to eight South African countries. Health experts say travel restrictions will give them time to study this new strain of the virus.
What is the status of new Omicron cases worldwide?
New York Governor Kathy Hochhol said Thursday that five new cases have been reported in New York.
Authorities say a man attending a convention in Manhattan in late November has been diagnosed with a new strain of the virus.
According to Kathy Hochhol, a 67-year-old woman in Suffolk County who had been vaccinated also tested positive for the new virus but showed mild symptoms.
The other four cases are in New York City.
A case confirmed in California on Wednesday and Colorado on Thursday has been identified among passengers who have recently returned from South Africa.
The man who was diagnosed with the virus in Minnesota recently returned from a three-day convention in New York City.
In Hawaii, a person who has been confirmed to be infected with the corona virus has not been vaccinated, although he had previously been infected with the corona virus in 2020, but has not traveled recently.
According to officials, a person infected with the virus in Hawaii also showed mild symptoms of the virus.
